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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Josh. 22
As I see it, the western tribes of Israel did a couple things right, here.
- They were quick to act at the first sign of possible rebellion against God. They understood that the rebellion of a few in the nation would impact all if they did not take action against it.
- They sought understanding before acting on their assumptions. They sent a small group of representatives to the eastern tribes before sending in the troops.
As it turns out, the western tribes had misinterpreted the motive behind the eastern tribes’ actions. Motives do matter! The way they handled the situation tells me that their motives were also in the right place. It seems at that point in time both sides were intent on remaining unified in their service to God alone. As the body of Christ today, our goal should be the same.
Josh. 23-24
Once again Joshua tells the Israelites to be strong. And once again it is not a, “be strong and face your enemies” message. What he said was, “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses” (Josh. 23:6a). It was an exhortation to stay true to God and not turn away to the ways of the surrounding Godless nations. Joshua went on to reiterate the truth that, if they stayed surrendered to God, He would continue to wipe out their enemies before them. If, however, they forgot all that God had done for them, abandoning Him for anything less, He would likewise abandon them.
Because of God’s grace and mercy in Christ Jesus, we no longer have to worry about sticking to that complex Law of Moses. Even so, the exhortation to us is the same. We can choose to give ourselves in humble surrender to the One who gives us all good things. Or we can choose anything else. Only one choice leads to life. Funny – it just hit me how the world we live in now is opposite from the Garden of Eden. In the Garden, there was only one choice that led to death. If humanity couldn’t get it right with only one wrong choice, what hope do we have now? The answer to that is that we have all the hope that we need. We have God’s promise, embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.